Warranty
Manufacturer warranty on a used car: does it pass to the new owner
A manufacturer warranty (gwarancja producenta) is attached to the car, not to the person, so on a sale it passes to the next owner with no separate assignment. The guarantor writes the terms, though, and they differ between brands: some end the cover after 2 years with no mileage limit, others give 7 years up to 150,000 km. Before you buy, check the date of first registration, the mileage limit and a complete service history. The manufacturer answers for the warranty, the seller answers for statutory liability for defects (rękojmia).
Does the warranty pass to the next owner?
It does. A warranty is accessory in nature, meaning it follows the object rather than the person, and the manufacturer addresses its declaration to whoever owns the vehicle at the time, not to the name on the registration document. Kia carries its 7 years over to subsequent owners, and Toyota ties its Relax warranty to the vehicle.
There is a catch. Because the guarantor writes the terms, the guarantor also decides what breaks the cover. A gap in the service book left by a previous owner can switch it off before the car ever reaches you.
Warranty versus statutory liability: who answers, and for how long
Two independent routes, two different parties.
Who is liable. The manufacturer warranty (gwarancja producenta) is answered for by the manufacturer, the importer or the dealer. Statutory liability for defects (rękojmia), now framed as lack of conformity of the goods with the contract, is answered for by the seller of the car.
Where it comes from. The warranty comes from a voluntary declaration by the guarantor. Statutory liability comes straight from the act.
How long it lasts. The warranty lasts as long as the guarantor wrote down, and 2 years where nothing was written down. The seller's liability lasts 2 years from handover of the car.
Can it be excluded. A brand may simply choose not to grant a warranty. Statutory liability cannot be taken away from a consumer, though in a private contract it can.
Since 1 January 2023, a consumer buying from a business no longer has rękojmia under the Civil Code (kodeks cywilny), but the rules on lack of conformity of the goods with the contract instead. The seller is liable for 2 years and cannot shorten that period, not even on a used car. A defect that surfaces within that time is treated as having existed at handover.
In a private contract, statutory liability for defects may be limited or excluded outright (art. 558 § 1 of the Civil Code). That is exactly why such contracts carry the sentence about the buyer having familiarised themselves with the technical condition of the vehicle. Neither route closes the other.
How long the warranty runs at each brand
There is no single answer, and that is the heart of the matter.
Kia: 7 years or 150,000 km, with the first 3 years carrying no mileage limit.
Hyundai: 5 years with no mileage limit, as standard.
Toyota: 3 years or 100,000 km, with no limit in the first year. Relax extends the cover one service at a time, up to 10 years or 185,000 km from first registration.
Volkswagen, Škoda, BMW: 2 years with no mileage limit, plus 3 years on paintwork and 12 years against body perforation. Anything longer costs extra.
On an almost new car that gap turns concrete. A two-year-old Kia still has five years of warranty ahead of it. A two-year-old Volkswagen on standard terms has nothing.
Does servicing outside an authorised dealer cost you the warranty?
It does not cost you the base warranty, whatever you hear in the showroom. The EU block exemption regulation GVO (461/2010, extended to 2028) forbids making a warranty conditional on servicing exclusively at an authorised service centre (ASO). The workshop has to work to the brand's specifications, use parts of matching quality and document everything. The manufacturer can only refuse a repair once it shows a link between that work and the fault.
Extended programmes run by their own rules. Toyota Relax renews only through a service at the brand's own network, within one month or 1,500 km of the due date.
How to check the warranty before you buy
1. Date of first registration. Most programmes count from that date, not from the day you collect the car.
2. Mileage against the brand's limit. With a 100,000 km limit and 84,000 km on the odometer, there is less cover left than the calendar suggests.
3. A call to the authorised dealer with the VIN. The only source that is not the seller's opinion.
What this changes in a purchase on preferential rent terms
CARMA buys only new and almost new cars, with an active warranty. The reason is mundane: the car stays ours for the whole rental period, so a factory defect at twenty thousand kilometres is our cost, not yours.
You drive for 2 to 18 months, then you decide about the buyout. The warranty stays with the car along with whatever cover is left, and we check the transfer terms in the warranty booklet of that specific vehicle. In a private listing a seven-year-old car has no warranty at all, and the seller's liability disappears from the contract in a single sentence.
Frequently asked questions
Frequently asked questions
Does the warranty pass to me when I buy a used car?
Yes, with no separate assignment. The terms written by the manufacturer apply, mainly the ones about scheduled servicing.
How long does a manufacturer warranty last?
As long as the guarantor wrote down. Where nothing was written down, the Civil Code (kodeks cywilny) gives 2 years. On the market you will find anything from 2 years with no mileage limit to 7 years and 150,000 km.
Will I lose the warranty if I service the car outside an authorised dealer?
Not the base warranty, provided the workshop follows the manufacturer's specifications, uses parts of matching quality and documents everything. Extended programmes can require the brand's own network.
